5 Teams The Flyers Need To Take Seriously

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If you're been a Philadelphia Flyers fan for a while, you have probably noticed that this team does some pretty irritating things -- like signing away their captain for an outspoken Russian goalie who costs too much, or not making the playoffs for the first time since 2005, or even not re-signing veteran and fan favorite Simon Gagne to a contract.

The list can go on, but one of things that this stupid team does that irritates probably every fan is not taking certain teams seriously. The Flyers are odd because often they go hard at teams that are really good and win, but then they play a really bad team and drop the game. It really does not make sense.

Well it does, but it proves that sometimes this teams has really poor judgment. When the Flyers play certain teams that are historically bad, they just do not take them seriously as opponents. When they play against teams like the Edmonton Oilers or the Toronto Maple Leafs, they sometimes lose because they just don't take that team seriously. They assume that since that team is really bad, they will lose, so the Flyers relax when they play these teams.

This is a huge flaw on their part, and they really need to stop this problem, especially since the Flyers will be opening their season after an embarrassingly bad preseason run.

Since the Flyers have a habit of doing this, here's a list of just five teams that the Flyers really need to take seriously during the 2013-14 NHL season.

5. Columbus Blue Jackets

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Now that the Columbus Blue Jackets have moved to the Eastern Conference, they could be a potential thorn in the Flyers' side. They still aren't the greatest of teams, but they came really close to snagging the playoff spot from the Wild last season. Former Flyers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky will definitely be trying to prove himself to his former team, and the Flyers cannot let their status as a not-so-good team allow them to drop their guard.

4. The Minnesota Wild

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The Flyers have not played the Minnesota Wild in a very long time, so when they venture out to start playing against the Western Conference teams, they will need to remember not to take it lightly. The Wild aren't known for being that great of a team, but they do have Ryan Suter and Zach Parise and made it to the playoffs last season. When the Flyers first play against them this season, they really need to keep this is mind.

3. Winnipeg Jets

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The Jets are still basically the Atlanta Thrashers, but they did pull some games out from underneath the Flyers this past season. Even when they were the Thrashers, they always gave the Flyers a lot of trouble for some reason. Now that they are a Western Conference team, they won't be quite so much a competitor, but the Flyers need to keep them on their radar.

2. New York Islanders

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Like the Leafs and the Wild, the New York Islanders had a run in the playoffs last season. With the new re-alignment affecting the playoffs, they could be a bigger rival for the Flyers this season. The Isles have seen some improvement in the past couple of seasons, and the Flyers can't slack off when they play them.

1. Toronto Maple Leafs

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have lost their edge as the worst team in the league, but the Flyers still tend to think they are the worse. In their first preseason outing, the Flyers lost to the Leafs, which is a testament to them not taking the Leafs seriously. While the Leafs may not have a season like they did last season, that's no reason for the Flyers not to play hard against them.